"It seems an entirely predictable question for an interview about the cornerstone of the gay theatrical canon."
And yet The Times never thought to ask the famous director of the acclaimed movie version.
11
I assume Mr. Pace knows the line from The Crucible--"He hath his goodness now." He seems like an incredibly decent person who may have channeled personal pain, or let's say the pain of existing in an imperfect world, into finely honed acting ability. I hope his official coming out just serves to increase the tools and strength he has to draw upon. How can becoming a whole, undivided person not serve his art? All best wishes to him.
19
Think I'll "come out" as a heterosexual. Four children and ten grandchildren as evidence.
9
Fertility is no proof of heterosexuality, and heterosexuality doesn't guarantee competent or caring child-rearing.
55
Having been thoroughly captivated by Lee Pace's portrayal of Joe McMillan on Halt and Catch Fire, one of the best television shows I have had the pleasure to watch, it's wonderful to see this brilliant actor be recognized for his talent. One thing that consistently comes across in his interviews is his humanity, his humility and his authenticity. I suppose that is what endears him to his audiences and underlies his magnetism, which I think appeals to all of us, regardless of our sexuality.
32
As noted in the comments below, Mr. Pace has done memorable work on television . In " Angels in America," now on Broadway, he soars as Joe Pitt.
His emotionally tortured scenes with Denise Gough ( his wife) are very moving. His scenes with James McArdle ( his new potential lover) --especially when he strips his soul and body bare-- are exceptional. His scenes with Nathan Lane as Roy Cohn (his mentor) are simply unforgettable, which is really saying something given the overall quality of this legendary production.
Whether he is on stage, TV or scene , Mr. Pace's sexuality becomes irrelevant. His acting is honest and pure. Go see him.
15
I thought Mr. Pace was great in Halt and Catch Fire, a series I still dearly miss. I never thought about his sexuality in terms of anything but his deeply shaded and wonderfully ambiguous character, Joe, which really is the way it should be. I wish him luck and success in all his endeavors, and hope he chooses to do another high quality series to which I will be riveted as I was to that one.
15
kind of I'm not surprised. I've seen Thranduil and even though I'm a straight man, I was completely blown away.
4
It's bizarre that it's still a "thing" in Hollywood, and also that people still seem to need two categories. Pace's sexuality is no one's business, for one, and two, having a fluid sexuality is what it is and does not require further explanation. Pace is captivating, fun to watch, and yes, very sexy. What an inspiration. Still mourning the loss of Halt & Catch Fire.
10
Judging by all the squealing straight ladies at BOYS IN THE BAND, I observe that coming out does not affect an actors career.
4
I came to love Lee in Pushing Daisies. A ridiculously fun story with great actors. I wish you love and light and continued success Lee!
11
I fell in love with Lee Pace in The Fall. If you haven't already, see it. I don't care a whit who HE finds love with; he's terrific. All happiness to you, Lee!
19
Absolutely! Loved him in The Fall - a truly magical film.
7
I did as well!
3
Hollywood -- its agents & mogels -- is riddled w hypocrisy. Coming out was a roadblock to the career of Rupert Everett (who had a Cary Grant sense of comedy); it sticks Matt Bomer in gay roles and rubbishy movies; I predict it will now do same to Lee Pace. The people who-run-the biz, you see, are feckless fools whose brains would crowd a thimble.
11
I was moved to the core watching Angels in America in San Francisco a few years after Tony Kushner debuted it. Growing up I knew Mormon missionaries who were trying to sort out their sexuality in a culture that actively shamed and shunned gay people. The pain, confusion, and heartbreak was intense. Fortunately today even SLC hosts a gay pride parade, Roy Cohn is an ugly footnote in history and someday his chief sycophant and other admirers will experience the justice they have denied others.
10
He gives a great performance. Loved all the performances (Lane, Garfield, etc). And he's a BIG animal lover! So he's got that going for him. I hope he comes to Broadway Barks. Bernadette Peter's massive adoption event in Shubert Alley. I searched online after seeing Angels and there was a Youtube of Mr. Pace getting made up for Soldier's Girl. He has the profile of John Barrymore. I hate him. I'm more like Ethel in the wheelchair years.
7
Mr. Pace articulated what every gay person feels:
The truth is,” he said at his apartment, “when you grow up queer, you get tough. And perceptive. And you learn how to field it. When someone comes at you that you don’t know, interested in that area of your life, it’s not always a good thing. I certainly knew that when I was a kid.”
I found Mr. Pace empowered and insightful. I wish him well.
27
I'm not a mathematician but doesn't the first sentence imply that parts 1 and 2 are performed 8 times a week? In fact Angels in America sets out on its 8 hour course just twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday. On Sunday, Thursday and Friday just one part is performed. Yes, the complete play is long, but this sentence makes no sense.
3
Thank you Mr. Leifheit, great picture of a reclining Mr. Pace... but, ahh, if only Mr. Pace could be shown "as if he were dreamily contemplating some outrage against conventional morality"... That would be the ticket!...
4
Lee Pace is a treasure — my favorite is his movie The Fall. Kind of wish he wasn’t being covered in a national newspaper mostly for his sexuality, but I’ll take whatever news I can get about him. I do like the quotes from Bomer; their friendship makes me happy.
Looking forward to seeing Angels later this month.
11
I'm not sure a lot of people who question the issue of Pace being out as one of significance know the full score.
Broadway is one world. Opportunities exist there that absolutely don't exist for gay/bi men (or whatever they identify as). We are nowhere near the studios casting a guy like Pace as a lead man where the character is straight.
Hollywood still casts based on audiences identifying with the offstage life of players. Bottom line. American audience insist lead parts that portray straight men are played by straight men. I've been out since 1977 and not that much has changed on that, and may not for quite a while.
Apple has a gay CEO as a parallel. But that was built into the culture of the company from the beginning. It sure was not and is not in the movie business.
11
As far as I can tell, Pace never used the word "gay" and his description of his own sexuality fits more neatly with bisexual or pansexual.
There's enough bi erasure out there in the world, especially when it comes to bi men. I'm disappointed to see the New York Times perpetuate it.
13
Doesn't his friend call him gay several times in the article and no one corrects her?
However, I also did notice Pace refers to himself as queer when he is being directly quoted, which the journalist seems to ignore.
3
I had the exact same reaction. Pace first says he's dated men and women; the author follows this with a mention of how he was incorrectly assumed to be dating a woman friend as though these truths could not coexist. The implication that queer = gay implies the author understands Pace's sexuality better than he knows himself. Janelle Monae just came out, there's really no excuse for not knowing that there are more sexual orientations than gay and straight.
6
But it wasn't the author who said it, the woman friend herself said it. I did find it a bit odd, too, because the beginning of the article repeats his quote on having dated women, plural.
3
Lee Pace elevates everything he is in. He has anchored classic television work with Halt and Catch Fire and Pushing Daisies. He was great as the bad guy in Guardians of the Galaxy, and in quieter roles like Amy Adams love interest in Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day. He is one of the great modern film stars, and its great to see him finally get the recognition that he deserves.
27
Great actor - warm, sensitive, funny. I enjoyed his work in The Hobbit and in a guest starring role on The Mindy Show. I hope he doesn't lose the privacy he once had - all of us deserve to be able to keep our work lives separate from our personal lives, should we wish that.
18
In the recent movie Love Simon, many thought it was little too cute and idealistic. For me it spoke to the frightening realization one day that your are gay. That your friends don't know or your family or God forbid anyone at school.
At one point in the movie, Simon's mother says," I remember you were such a warm and open childThen , one day you were quite and cautious, withdrawn like you were hiding something".
I knew that fear, as does/ did Lee Pace. I worked in finance where gay slander was open and encouraged. Who would stand up to senior officials and object? The world is a better place when you need not hide. Bravo Lee Pace, you are so much better than your detractors.
34
Why is this news and why is it in the NY Times? This is the sort of thing I would be reading about in the supermarket rags except that I use self-checkout which has no magazines.
It is hard to believe that anyone cares whether an actor is gay or straight. It is hardly news. Straight actors have played gay characters and gay characters play straight parts. What an actor does in off hours is not our business. It does not need an announcement, especially in what purports to be a newspaper.
14
Off hours? Do you turn off your sexual orientation and human identity and become a robot after 5 pm? It is part of who he is and therefore a very appropriate part of this profile, particularly given the roles he has played.
6
This article is a great comfort to me. Over the last couple of years, my granddaughter has told our family that she is transgender. She identifies as a boy. We are all attempting to accede to her wishes, calling her by her name of choice. As this letter shows, I still haven't gotten accustomed to her choice of pronoun, but I am working on saying him instead of her. Getting used to the idea that I used to have a granddaughter and now I have an grandson is taking time, perhaps similar to getting used to the notion, like Mr. Pace, that one's gender identity is no longer private, but "out there." I am grateful for this article. It is, as I said, comforting to know that Mr. Pace, a wonderful actor (HACF! YES!) is happy and successful.
23
It's obvious from your comment how much you love your granddaughter. It's also obvious to me that your honest heart will soon embrace in love and in respect your wonderful grandson. He is indeed a lucky boy.
Be sure to show him your love. In this nasty "bathroom bill" world, he'll need your support. And your love and support will be returned tenfold.
18
Great actor. I look forward to seeing more of his work.
11
It doesn't seem like being out hurts actors the way it once did. Matt Bommer still gets leading man roles. Neil Patrick Harris is a bonafide star.
15
I'm curious about Mr. Schneier's use of "gay" when Mr. Pace uses the word "queer" within the article. Is this mis-identification on the author's part or did Mr. Pace refer to himself as gay and it was left out of the article?
22
And, in fact, given that he states he's dated women, I suspect he would identify (if pressed) as bisexual or pansexual.
This Is What Bi Erasure Looks Like.
13
I'll be glad when queer becomes the new normal and that word is retired.
4
As a gay man who grew up only hearing "queer" used as a pejorative term, I hope it never becomes normal. No amount of people wanting to take the word back and own it will ever make it seem less painful to me and many others, I imagine.
6
An actor is gay -- that's the nation's greatest newspaper's idea of news?
8
Lots of us wish it wasn't news, but actors are still being pushed into the closet by Hollywood suits every day. This is pretty newsworthy.
16
The news isn't that an actor is gay; the news is he admits it. How sad that it's still an act of courage in the 21st century.
3
"A Soldier's Girl" was excellent.
10
Although I celebrate Mr. Pace's decision to out himself, I firmly believe that an individual's sexual orientation and preferences are private information-to be shared at the discretion of the individual. We all deserve a private life-actors included.
22
It is my firm contention that no heterosexual would or could ever make the comment above, and no LGBTQ person should have to.
6
I've loved Lee Pace since he was baking pies on "Pushing Daisies," and I'm so glad he gave me a happy picture of Joe Pitt's future, even if it's just in his imagination! After spending many hours this Saturday with the cast of Angels in America, the lack of resolution or a future for his character was painful to me because he makes me care about every person he inhabits.
24
He is a great actor, who happens to be gay, but who needs to be talked about and seen much more!!! Kudos to him!
33
I first came across Mr Pace in The Fall, beautiful film. I've followed his work since then.
17
Absolutely agree. Exquisite film and acting.
1
Film used to define who was a star. It doesn't anymore, since fewer and fewer people are going to see movies. TV is the far more powerful medium, and in between those gigs, actors like Pace can do theater. The movies don't like women. The movies don't like gays. Why do we keep expecting anything from them?
9
In a hetero-dominant culture that exploits celebrity and makes actors cultural avatars, I doubt that an out gay person would be accepted in a leading role as a heterosexual. The dissonance would be too high for a mass audience. Until homosexuality is thoroughly internalized and accepted in our culture, the Gay Ghetto remains a home for many.
10
On the other hand, Matt Bomer, mentioned in the story, played a pretty dang convincing straight leading man on White Collar for many years.
8
To my point, did you know Matt Bomer was gay?
1
Neil Patrick Harris.
4
Great interview with a gay man who happens to be a talented actor. It's like an interview with with George Clooney, a straight actor, who happens to be good looking (and not as talented as Mr. Pace).
29
I don't care about sexual preferences in the real life of an actor. The job of an actor is to portray someone other than themselves. Making an issue out of it is narcissistic, as it would be in any other profession whose performance value is not based on one's personal life. In the golden era of film, certain actors were gay and everyone kew it, but the actors chose not to make a big public issue out it. It seemed it was better that way. I am sick of the chorus of people insisting we care about their personal lives.
15
There are still many, many people out there who need to hear and see "out" public figures. Maybe, just maybe, seeing these figures doing well and being celebrated give them hope and strength. The LGBT community has made tremendous progress in the past few decades, but the fight is far from done.
If you personally don't care about this topic, don't click on the article.
54
Define "everyone"... Were any of those "certain actors" able to live their lives openly? I don't think so. Those actors did not choose not to make a big deal; they were required to keep their sexuality a secret or they'd be unable to work. Meanwhile, heterosexual movie stars had their marriages on the covers of magazines.
Besides, if you don't care about their personal lives, why are you reading this article?
21
Not sure you read the article. It states clearly that Pace didn't want to share his private life but was pushed to by the interviewer. Then, following some of the negative (or enlightening) reaction he received, he decided to clarify. There's a huge difference between people like Pace and the people you really ARE talking about: the Kardashians, Jenners, Hiltons, etc.
7
For actors who worry about coming out, I repeat what a woman once said to me, "I don't care if Tom Cruise is gay, I still love him." If the question is whether or not women can fantasize about you, being gay is not that much of an issue for them, so the challenge is straight men. But if you appeal to gay and bi men, and women, that puts straight men well into the minority. The establishment in Hollywood needs to learn that lesson, but they are themselves so deeply closeted and out of touch with the world, can they? It's time the movie industry moved back to New York, and left the unreality and culture-desert of Los Angeles behind!
18
Have been a fan of Mr. Pace for ages now (especially in HACF), regardless of his sexuality.
In fact, I never gave it a thought.
18
Mr. Pace, I once heard Suzanne Westenhoefer, a lesbian comedien, say, "Ask anyone who has come out of the closet if they would go back in; to a person, the answer would be no."
Welcome to the sunshine, sir! It's great out here!
17
Mr Moylan says, “I don’t apologize for asking the question.” Well, maybe he should.
Yes, it can provide an occasion for someone who wishes to come out to do so. But if he or she doesn't, there is no good way to answer it. Either he can lie (which he is perfectly entitled to do) and run the risk of that lie being later exposed, or duck the question and have it come back again and again in future interviews. Mr Pace is surely right: his work is what he wants to talk about.
Assent to an interview does not award a reporter the rights to his subject's life. Many of them, like Mr Moylan, seem to think it does.
50
Who knew there were still so many closets and defenders of the closet in 21st century America? No wonder the Supreme Court gives bakers the right to discriminate; the media have convinced us the LGBTQ community has won its struggle when really our fight is still ahead.
5
Not an easy topic.
It’s great to be authentic. It’s great to just be yourself.
But what if that question were posed to Mr. Pace 15 years ago?
He’d already lost an agent presumably on the basis of his being honest.
Acting is unlike other professions. It relies on the actor’s ability to persuade an audience that he is the character he’s portraying.
Celebrity and acting go hand in hand, therefore elements of the actor’s life become interesting to audiences.
The facts of the actor’s life can impede a career—not just sexual preference, but political preferences can impede a career, as well as other aspects, such as race and religion.
Unfortunately I think that sometimes honesty only becomes the best policy after the odds are showing to be favorable, and that may come only after proving to be viable in the profession.
16
Richard B, relax — your secret is safe. But the same excuses are made in every profession, and this insidious dishonesty still fosters ignorance and oppression of all LGBTQ people.
1
Choosing to be true to yourself and to let the world see your authentic self is still too difficult for too many people. But each time somebody like Mr. Pace makes the decision to be open, it makes the world a little easier for those that follow hm. More daylight makes it easier for each of us to find the way forward.
Here’s to making gentle the life of this world—thank you, Mr. Pace.
89